Dennis beemer



(No Model.)

D. BEEMER. v STATION INDIGATOR. 4 No. 572,189. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.-

I ijlil I a IHIII'JII 1' 77 WITNESSES INVENTOR Q5. AZ. @JMQ J4 U ITED STATES l PATENT OFFICE.

DENNIS BEEMER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AS SIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO IVILLIAM BUOKOW, OF SAME PLACE.

STATION-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,189, dated December 1, 1896.

Application filed March 7,1896. Serial No. 582.234.- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.

Be it known that I, DENNIS BEEMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of \Vayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Street-Indicators for Cars; and] declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for indicating the names of streets or stations about to be approached by the car in which the street-indicating device is located.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device with parts broken away so as to disclose the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a detailed view of one of the parts. Fig. 3 is a variation of the tripping-lever.

In the drawings, A represents the outside casing.

B B are rolls to which are engaged the ends of the ribbon C. These rolls are connected together by a sprocket-chain B operating suitable gears mounted on the same shaft with said rolls. This ribbon 0 passes over the idlers D D. On the surface of the ribbon are printed the names of the streets intersecting the street traversed by the car on which this st-reet'indicating device is located. A suitable opening is provided in the casing A, through which to view the names of the streets, in which is located the lens a, for the purpose of showing more clearly to those at some distance from the indicator the names of the streets.

On the shaft on which one of the rolls B is mounted are ratchet-wheels E. Pivoted on this same shaft is a suitable hanger F, in which are hung dogs F for operating said sprocket-gears. The hanger is also provided witha ring f at the rear, through which is engaged the wire cable G. The spring f is also connected with this ring and secured to the bearing or other suitable point so as to draw the hanger down, in order that the dogs may engage the successive teeth on the ratchet-gears. The wire cable G passes between suitable friction-rolls suitably mount- ,ed on top of the case or cabinet A. This cable passes thence through atube H, mounted upon the top of the car and connected with a bell-crank I, suitably mounted at the top, or another form of lever, such as shown in Fig. 3. This bell-crank has a spring 1' secured to the tube H, for the purpose of maintaining the long arm of the bell-crank in an elevated position.

J represents the ordinary trolley-wire employed, and J is one of its supporting or tie wires. On the supporting or tie wire farthest from the street about to be approached by the car is suspended a suitable hanger K, provided with a friction-roll It. It will be seen that when the car passes under this tiewire the long arm of the bell-crank I will come in contact with the friction-roll k, causing the wire cable G to be drawn upward, and thus through its connection with the hanger F, in which are mounted the dogs F, will cause one of the ratchet gear-wheels E to turn a suitable distance, the throw being limited by the removable pins or stops g.

To prevent any strain upon the operating mechanism, a spring is provided, connected with the wire cab1e,as shown at L, offering sufficient resistance to cause the dogs to operate the ratchet -gears, but still springing suflioiently so that there will be no danger of any damage being done by a sudden blow given to said operating mechanism. The sleeve G (shown in Fig.2) may or may not be employed. It is sometimes necessary for the motorman to back his car, and if this necessity should arise to prevent the bell-crank from operating the winding-rolls the device referred to is introduced.

G is a sleeve connected with the wire cable G at the top rigidly, but sliding freely on the cable G below, the lower portion of the cable being provided with a suitable head G It will be seen that when the bell-crank comes in contact with the hanger when the car is traveling forward the sleeve coming in contact with the head G will operate the winding-rolls through its operating mechanism, but when the car is caused to go backward the bell-crank coming in contact with to View.

the hanger will force the sleeve down over the lower wire cable without causing any further movement.

The variation shown in Fig. 3 provides means for operating the cable G when the car travels in either direction; A crank is provided, as shown at M, by which the conductor can reverse the ribbon if the device is employed on a belt-line car. If, however, the device is employed on a car which reverses the direction of its travel, itis only necessary to swing the hanger with its dogs in the opposite direction to that shown in the drawings, when the ribbon will reverse, exposing the streets in their proper order.

N is a bell mounted on the cabinet arranged to signal whenever a street-name is exposed If desired, an electric light maybe located inside the cabinet, so as to show the street-names clearly at night.

Vhile I have described my invention for use on street-cars,it is equally well adapted for railroad purposes.

Having thus described inyinvention, what I claim is In a street-indicating device for cars, the combination of a ribbon having the streetnames or stations printed thereon, windingrolls for carrying and winding said ribbon ,said rolls mounted in a cabinet having an opening through which to View the names, suitable belting connecting the roll winding up the ribbon with the roll from which it is unwound, ratchet-Wheels mounted on the shaft of one of said Winding-rolls, and a swinging arm pivoted to said shaft, a double dog pivoted to said swinging arm adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheels, a spring for drawing the swinging arm to the limit of its stroke, pins g to limit the travel of the swinging arm, a cable having one end attached to the swinging arm, the other to a bell-crank mounted in a standard on top of the car, a spring L forming a part of said operating cable and located between the tripping and actuating for tripping said bell-crank, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

DENNIS BEEMER. \Vitnesses:

C. I I. FIsK, G. M. DAVIS.

45 levers, and means suspended above the car 7 r 

